Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today introduced the Restoring Trust in Public Health Act which would require that nominees for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) be confirmed by the United States Senate. Recently, the CDC has impacted the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans through its COVID-19 guidelines and eviction moratorium all under directors that have not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Of the bill Sen. Lee said, “The CDC has exerted astonishing power over the everyday lives of millions of Americans without any say from Congress. This bill will ensure that, through the confirmation process, future directors are qualified, honest, and reasonable. Few agencies need such tempered, rational leadership as much as the CDC.”
Sen. Tuberville said, “The CDC Director is arguably the most powerful position at HHS that is not subject to Senate confirmation. In the past year and a half during a global pandemic, CDC-issued guidance has impacted every American – without input from Congress. If an individual is going to have such vast and seemingly unchecked power, the CDC Director should be a Senate-confirmed role to ensure the American people get a say in the process and that the individual selected has the temperament and qualifications necessary.”
Sens. Lee and Tuberville are joined by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Mike Braun (R-IN) as cosponsors.
The full text of the bill can be read here. A one-pager of the bill is available here.
